June 2026 - Giusy Andreacchio - Wines of the TriVeneto

 

This Month we had a presentation by Giusy Andreacchio – WSET Diploma and Certified Educator - ‘A Portrait of Triveneto: Understanding the Wines of Friuli, Veneto & Trentino-Alto Adige’

This is the NE part of Italy, Bolzano, Trieste, Verona, Venice are all in there.

There are some well know wines familiar to us all – Prosecco, Soave and Valpolicella/Amarone in there as well as many we’ve not seen before – Italy is such a rich tapestry of Wines that there is always something new, and this is just one corner!

Giusy is clearly very enthusiastic about her wines and did perhaps overload us with information. Nevertheless some excellent wines and and informative evening.

Most of these Wines are not on the High Street, but Available from Woodwinters or Hallgarten WInes (No. 6)

Sparkling –

1.            1     Case Paolin Pietra Fine Extra Brut Asolo DOCG Prosecco Superiore NV. Glera. 12%, £18

White

2.       Tenuta Santa Maria Soave Lepiga DOC 2024. Garganega Veronese. 12.5% £16

3.       Zuani Vigne Collio Bianco DOC 2024. Friulano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio. 13% £25

4.       Nals Margreid Pinot Grigio Cru Punggl DOC 2022. Pinot Grigio. 13% £20

Red

5.       Tenuta Santa Maria Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC 2023. Corvina75% Corvinone15% Rondinella 10%. 14.5% £21

6.       Castello di Buttrio Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso DOC Friuli Colli Orientali 2020 Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso. 13% £22.50

7.        Nals Margreid Lagrein Sand DOC 2024. Lagrein. 13.5% £23

8.       Giacomo Montresor Amarone 'La Colombaia' DOCG 2022. Corvina, Rondinella Molinara 15% £30

May 2026. A Tour of the Rhone, Peter Freeman

 

This month we had Peter Freeman presenting A Tour of the Rhone. An eclectic selection with wine at both ends of the scale – bought from Tesco or Vinatis, an online very French Wine warehouse.

Peter has decades of experience and if quite old school, was very entertaining and knowledgeable.

One of the interesting/annoying thing about these wines is that Cotes de Rhone allows 18 different grapes – but you are unlikely to be able to work out which grapes are in the wine you are buying. Also,90%+ of Cotes de Rhone production is Red.

White

Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc, SR, 2024. 13.0%. £9.50. Tesco

               Quite a rounded white with some body to it. Probably Grenache blanc/Marsanne.

Luberon “L'Oustalet”, SR, 2024. 13.0%. £10.00. Tesco

               Vielle Vignes. Lighter and Fresher

St Peray “Nobles Rives”, NR, 2024. 13.0%. £18.49.. Vinatis

               A very powerful white, a Roussane/Marsanne blend.

Red

Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge Signargues , SR, 2024. 14.0%. £9.50. Tesco

               Basic Cotes de Rhone. Decent enough

Lirac Lafont, SR, 2024. 14.5%. £14.00. Tesco

A blend of grapes – probably 5 or 6 in here, with a lot of Grenache. A solid wine which would benefit from 3 or 4 more years.

Cornas “Les Arènes”, NR, 2022. 13.0%. £36.26. Vinatis

A top of the range wine. Pure Syrah, and one of the smallest appellations out there, so suffers from supply/demand. A good alternative to a good Hermitage.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Ch de Vaudieu, SR, 2021. 15.0%. £38.66. Vinatis

Mostly grenache & syrah. Very powerful, full bodied, alcoholic. Very nice indeed.

Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Vignon, SR, 2022. 15.0%. £16.74. Everywhere.

A sweetie.

March 2026 - Carole Hazlehurst. British Winemakers abroad

 

I was on holiday, so can’t report much, so for the record, these were the wines

 

Framingham Pinot Gris, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2023, 13.5%

Holden Manz Chenin Blanc, Coastal Region, South Africa, 2023, 12.5%

Domaine Begude, Le Paradis Viognier, Haute Vallée de L'Aude, 2024, 13%

Mirabeau Pure, Côtes de Provence, 2024, 12.5%

Incanta Pinot Noir, Romania, 2024, 12.5%

Paso-Primero Pasotismo, Somontano, Spain, 2022, 13.5%

Our Fathers, There is a light, McLaren Vale 2023, 14.5%

Domaine Treloar, Le Maudit, Côtes de Roussillon, 2012, 14%